Automated System for Monitoring and Diagnostics Pilot's Emotional State in Flight

Introduction

Statistics of aviation accidents in recent decades indicates the prominent role of human factors influence on the total number of aviation accidents, which is about 80% (International Civil Aviation Organization [ICAO], 2004; 2013а, 2013b, 2014).

The flight manual does not include the actions of the flight crew in unexpected conditions of the aircraft (ACFT) operation (International Aviation Committee, 1994). Because of this, in about 20% of the cases, the crew does not have clear instructions for parrying emergency (Mikhailic, Dzhafarzade, & Malishevskiy, 2004). In these circumstances, timely detection of the extreme situation and the provisioning of operational assistance by the air traffic service units can be of benefit. According to the guidance documents, the final decision in an aviation accident accepts pilot-in-command. Due to 90% of the causes of aviation accidents through the inappropriate decisions of the ACFT crews (ICAO, 2012, 2013а, 2013b, 2014), the responsibility for the timely and adequate advice in emergencies is assigned to the air traffic controller (АТС). For this purpose, the ATC needs to have current information on the development of an emergency; the current emotional state of the pilot; the quantitative prognosis for the development of an emergency taking into account the pilot’s psychophysiological state.

A significant part of aviation accidents (33%) is caused by non-compliance by the flight crew of the laws, rules, and regulations, as well as violations in training (42%) (Leychenko, Malishevskiy, & Mikhalic, 2006). The existing approaches to checking psychophysiological, behavioral, ergonomic, professional, and other aspects of human influence on flight operation do not consider the functional state of human-operator (H-O) in the conditions of the dynamic change of external and internal factors (Makarov, Nidziy, & Shishkin, 2000). Thus fatal mistakes can be committed by normal, healthy, highly motivated and well-equipped personnel. Scientists have used lately the term “conscience deviation” when they analyzed the causes of aviation events conditioned by the insufficient development of the appropriate cultural values in a person who makes the decisions (Leychenko, Malishevskiy, & Mikhalic, 2006).

To predict the development of emergencies it is important to have information about the current emotional state of pilot and passengers on board of the ACFT. The nature of the Air Navigation System’s (ANS) H-O work depends on the dynamic properties of the control object and all links have to be included in the system, such as laws of control, tools of coding information, type of the tasks assigned to the operator, external work conditions, and, finally, the physiological state and capabilities of the operator.

Research goal: to work-out a system for monitoring of the emotional state changes of the Air Navigation System's human-operator in the extreme situations based on the using of the prior models of the operator activity which built on the posterior researches of actual material of the aviation accidents investigation.

Research questions:

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  to develop the mathematical models of the emotional state of the ANS’s H-O;

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  to determine the stability of the Aviation Ergatic (Man-Machine) System “H-O – ACFT” during the ANS’s H-O emotional experience deformation in the emergency;

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  to design a computer program for diagnostics of the emotional state of the ANS’s H-O.

Research hypothesis: the system based on monitoring of the current emotional state of the ANS’s H-O and diagnostics of the deformations of emotional experience with the determination of the operator's functional stability will allow preventing the development of potentially hazardous flight situations towards worsening.

Background

The research in worldwide practice to determine changes in the emotional state of H-O in Aviation Ergatic System (AES) is mostly focused on direct measurements of physiological characteristics, such as heart rate, blood pressure, tremors of hands, perspiration, changes in iris, etc., by applying the appropriate medical equipment, sensors (Bazlev, Evdokimenkov, Kim, & Krasilshchikov, 2007). Such studies of the H-O physical condition have practical value, but it is more difficult to obtain measurements of actual H-O emotional state during the execution of professional duties, particularly in an aviation accident. The research in monitoring the current characteristics of the emotional state of H-O without interference in ergonomic conditions of operator action is required.